Trauma Resiliency… May 21, 2015 • By Sunda Friedman TeBockhorst, PhD, Posttraumatic Stress / Trauma Topic Expert Contributor…quote from this article…
Why is that?
The answer to this appears to be largely the same as the answer to so many other quandaries in the field of psychology: the unique combination of genetic constitution and set of life experiences for any given individual. It’s the old “nature vs. nurture” question, and, as is typically the case, the answer seems to be “yes, both influence outcome significantly.”
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Trauma resiliency is an area of research PTSD survivors can appreciate. Most of us on the severe side of trauma exposure constantly wonder, with some shame and guilt to boot, why some move forward in life after trauma in pretty good shape in terms of emotional baggage. I fall into the category of long exposure to traumatic experiences as a child and young adult, including living with an entire family suffering from post-trauma stress, especially my post WWII and Korean War father. Without a strong dose of nurturing from parents and family members, it is near impossible to recover as a child or young adult. We head into adult life with a heavy emotional load that must be reconciled eventually. If not, we live a life of constant pain from the symptoms of post-trauma stress. You see, parents and siblings suffering from PTSD do not have the capacity to nurture. A toxic home culture is ruled by fear, isolation, denial, stigma, emotional numbness, and self serving behaviors. Sound painful? Yes, it is painful indeed. Can’t we do more? We must do better…
Steve Sparks, Author, Reconciliation: A Son’s Story and My Journey of Healing in Life After Trauma, Part 1&2… Click the highlighted text for my author page and to order books, please!
